Remote SCIM token disclosure via timing leak
Published Nov 16, 2022 · Updated Apr 23, 2025
A covert timing channel in Zulip Server 5.0 through 5.6 allows remote attackers to infer SCIM bearer tokens via repeated failing requests. The validate_scim_bearer_token function compared the Authorization header with ordinary equality instead of constant_time_compare, making response timing dependent on matching characters. SCIM account management must be enabled; a recovered token can impersonate the SCIM client to read and update user accounts, while the vendor reports exploitation as theoretically possible and impractical in practice.
Summary
What happened
A covert timing channel in Zulip Server 5.0 through 5.6 allows remote attackers to infer SCIM bearer tokens via repeated failing requests. The validate_scim_bearer_token function compared the Authorization header with ordinary equality instead of constant_time_compare, making response timing dependent on matching characters. SCIM account management must be enabled; a recovered token can impersonate the SCIM client to read and update user accounts, while the vendor reports exploitation as theoretically possible and impractical in practice.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2022-41914
- Published
- Nov 16, 2022
- Updated
- Apr 23, 2025
- Vendor
- Zulip
- Product
- Zulip
- Classifications
- CWE-385, CWE-203
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 16, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Apr 23, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=>= 5.0, < 5.7
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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